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treatment of the ore before it was known whether a sufficient quantity of it existed to keep the plant fully employed. The company who erected this plant seemed perfectly satisfied by seeing the large body of stone in the main reef; and they depended upon the opinions of other people as to the amount of payable ore there was in several mines for treatment by this plant. When this field was first opened, rich ore was found in the Premier, Canadian, New Find, and other mines. Almost any one would have been led astray, after seeing the percentage of gold that appeared in the ore when the reefs were first discovered, cropping out above the surface. Gold could be seen almost everywhere dotting over the stone, indicating that large fortunes would be made when once proper crushing machinery was in the field to treat the ores. These discoveries induced Messrs. Firth and McCosh Clarke, two of the most enterprising men at that time in the Auckland District, to erect a large public crushing-plant on the field in order to be able to treat the whole of the ore. This plant consisted of forty head of stamps, driven by waterpower, the battery being fitted up with the ordinary copper-plated and blanket tables ; and afterwards they erected a large plant of berdans. In connection with this plant, a tramway was constructed by the County Council, but considerably over half the cost of the same was paid by the Government. The length of the tramway, including self-acting grades, was about three miles, and the cost amounted to about £18,000. It connected all the mines that were at that time opened to the crushing-battery. A scale of charges regulating the cost of transit from the different mines to the battery was fixed by the County Council, and the cost of crushing at the plant was agreed between the mine-owners and Messrs. Firth and Clarke at 10s. per ton. After the plant was completed and crushing commenced, the first lot of ore from the New Find Mine yielded over 2oz. of gold to the ton, and it was afterwards found that a similar quantity, if not more, was left in the' tailings; but, strange to say, after the first crushing from the Premier Mine, although the stone looked remarkably rich on the surface, the gold did not seem to go down in the lode, and being also of such a minutely-divided character throughout the ore, only a small percentage of it was saved. The high opinion entertained by people with regard to the prospects of this field before crushing operations commenced, was of such a nature that when the results of the crushings from the different mines was known they became disheartened and did not carry on the prospecting operations for any distance below the outcrop of the lodes as they should have done, in order to test the ground which they had taken up. Some years after the field had been opened, Mr. Fergusson, of Waiorongomai, took up some ground on the northern end of the main lode, and, finding the ore of a payable character, went to Glasgow and floated a large company to work the mine; but he made the same mistake as has been made by others in mining ventures of this description—by the introduction of reduction machinery, which had been very little used for the reduction of quartz-ores, and which, it may be said, proved an entire failure so far as the first reduction process was concerned. The only really good portion of Mr. Fergusson's plant was the McKay pans, and these were only suitable for treating ore by amalgamation ; but the character of the ore is such, having gold in a finely-divided state, that it ought to have been treated by the cyanide process. This was, indeed, Mr. Fergusson's intention when he first came out; but through some disagreement amongst the shareholders at Home, owing to the disappointing returns of the extraction by amalgamation, operations in connection with this plant were soon suspended. The company also constructed a tramway for about half a mile in length up the side of the range to connect the mine with the battery, the Government giving £1,500 towards the cost of its construction. This line is still in good order, and remains there for any one to use who chooses to open up any mines in this neighbourhood. Mr. Firth, of Firth and Clarke, to whom the original crushing plant belonged, being satisfied that a different mode of treatment was required for the ores of the Waiorongomai district, went with his manager, Mr. Adams, to see the principle adopted on the Pacific Slope, with a view of making such alteration in his plant as he might afterwards deem necessary in order to render it suitable for dealing with the ores found in this locality. In returning from San Francisco he was a fellow-passenger with Mr. W. E. Wilson, of Broken Hill. The latter was so impressed by the description given by Mr. Firth, but more especially by the statements of Mr. Adams, with reference to the payable ore existing on the Te ArohaEange, that upon Mr. Wilson's arrival at the latter place, and viewing the immense lode running through the range for such a distance, he concluded that it would well repay the trouble of working if a proper method of treatment was adopted, and at once made arrangements for purchasing Mr. Firth's plant and mines. A few weeks afterwards he formed a large company to erect a suitable plant. An experienced metallurgist and mining engineer was sent for from America to take charge of the works, who erected a large plant, consisting of sixty head of stamps, also smelting and roasting furnaces for treating the ore ; after spending some £60,000 in this direction a commencement was made to work the plant; but when smelting and reducing operations had been carried on for some time it was found that the principle adopted was too expensive for the value of the ore to be treated. Prior to the erection of this plant the company had not expended any money in prospecting the mines which they had purchased, and now that their capital was so diminished, and the returns were so disappointing, they suspended operations, and eventually sold the whole of their mines, together with part of the plant, to a syndicate represented by Mr. Adams, the former manager to Messrs. Firth and Clarke, for about £3,000. These gentlemen commenced operations in the mine; but the want of capital deterred them from carrying on prospecting operations. Such is the state of Te Aroha Goldfield at the present time. Mr. Adams has sold the greater part of the plant, and it has been removed to other portions of the district, and there are only about ten heads of stamps left on the field, and the population now engaged in mining is very limited.